Weft end holder for weft replenishing looms



H. A. WHITlN WEFT END HOLDER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed Ndv. 20, 1945 Attbrqey Patented Aug. 1, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WEFT END3H0LDER FOR WEFT I IREPLENIVSHING LooMs 'lierbert A. whitingworcester, Mass., assignor to.

Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester,' Mass, a corporationjof Massachusetts a 7 Application November 20, 1943, Serial No. 511,048 io'clainis. (o1. 139-;24rlf. 7 I is I I V v that each mayserve as acheck pawl to hold This invention relates to improvements" in'weft; end holders for weft replenishing loor'ns-an'd-it is the general object of the invention to provide a thread holder actuated by a vibration motor which is responsive to vertical as well as horizontal vibration of the loom. V

Multicolor weft replenishing looms generally carrier and provided with a pawl to' actuate: a"

ratchet wheel connected to one of the thread gears. In such thread holders the weight has been mounted so that it could vibrateyonly in a horizontal direction. a

Experience shows that looms do not all vibrate in the same way during operation.

latter is made so as to respond to up and down motion. It is an important object of my invention to mount the weight of the thread holder in' such a manner as to cause its operation by both horizontal and vertical vibration, or by either kind of vibration acting alone.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide the weight of the thread holder with. pawls which can communicate either a vertical? or a horizontal movement, or both, from the weight 'to' the feed ratchet connected tov the:

thread gears.

Heretofore the Weight has been mounted on a pair of leaf spring supports which hang downwardly and are secured to the ends of the weight andit is for this reason thatthe weight moves horizontally only. It is another object of my present invention to use only, one of these supports for one end of the weight and support the other end of the weight by a spring which permits its vertical motion. The vertical feed pawl is attached. to the free, end of' the weight. It is a further object of the invention .toiuse horizontal and vertical feed pawls'j solrelated" It has been proposed In some looms the horizontal vibration is predominant; or at least suflicient to rock the thread holder. weight. In other looms, however, the horizontal vibration is negligible but enough vertical vibra-.- tion is present to operate a thread holder if the the ratchet against retrograde movement when the: other pawl is hav'ingan idlestroke;

With thesex'and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my in-.v vention resides in the combination and arrange? ment of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of myinvention-is set. forth, Fig. l'i's an end elevation of part of a weft ireplenishing loom having attached thereto a holder casing.

thread holder made according to my present invention, f 2

Fig. 2.is an end elevation ofuaSthread holder looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectionon' line 3-3 of Fig.2,and'

Fig. 4 is a view ofthe interior of the thread holder withthe dust plate removed and showing the operating mechanism within. the thread Referring tov the drawing, particularly Figs. 1

and 2-1 have shown a loom-frame 10 provided with a magazine :II inwhich are'stored reserve bobbins l2.= The magazine is made in usual man'- ne'ffor multicolor weft replenishing looms'so that the bobbins are arranged in vertical stacks and weft ends W extend outwardly fronrthe reservebobbins. The magazineiiricludes in its construction a tie rod l3 on whichismounted: an arm l4 having av foot" I5 to ."which is attached a thread holder designated generally at H; The

thread holder comprises a box like casing I1 having top, bottom and side walls l8, connected to a-web I9.--'The foot I5 is secured to one of the side walls V J 1 The thread holder has a ratchet wheel 2! within casing H secured to a stud 22 rotatable on the Web" I 9 and secured on the other side of the web to a thread-engaging gear 24' meshing looselywith a second: thread engaging gear 25 mounted for free rotation on a stud 26. The latter is carried by a plate-2T held to the casing in adjusted horizontal" positionby" screws '29 passing through slots'30 'iri-plate'2-1 and, tapped into web [-9. When the ratchet wheel- 2f is turned counter-clockwise as viewed in Fig. 4 it causes thread gear 24 to turn and the latter in tweenjthe gears '24 and, 25: and are subjected to" a ten'sio'n to draw them .taut with respect-to their'freservei bobbins by of the ratchet wheel If desired an adjustingstop screw.3]

will further be noted in this last 'con n'ectionthat each *p'awl servesas a -"check*to prevent retro-' grade movement-of the ratchet for the other pawl. Also, the pawl 46 will 'be-acted upon by a force tending to raise it-when the weight moves horizontallyto the right-with respect to the case" due to the manner of support -of the wei'ght' lt Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom thread holder which vibrates horizontally and vertically during loom operation and has a traveling surface to engage reserve bobbin weft ends, a weight supported by the thread holder and mounted for free movement horizontally and vertically relatively to the thread holder due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, and feed means for the traveling surface actuated by both horizontal and vertical movement of the weight relatively to the thread holder.

2. In a loom thread holder which vibrates horizontally and vertically during operation of the loom on which the thread holder is mounted, the thread holder having a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in the loom, a weight mounted on said thread holder for both horizontal and vertical free movement relatively to the thread holder due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the latter, and feed means operated by the weight when the latter moves either horizontally or vertically rel- I atively to the thread holder to effect movement of said traveling surface.

3. In a loom thread holder having a support which vibrates horizontally and vertically during loom operation, said support having thereon a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in the loom, a weighted mass having one end suspended from said support for free movement in a horizontal direction relatively to the support due to horizontal vibration of the latter, resilient means on said support to mount the other end of said weighted mass for vertical movement relatively to said support due to vertical vibration of thelatter, and feed means for the traveling surface actuated by said weighted mass when the latter moves either horizontally or vertically.

. turn strokes relatively to the ratchet and each of said wei'ght relatively to the thread-holder.

--6-.-In a thread holder'having a ratchet-con nected to a'traveling surface to engage weft ends extendingfrom reserve bobbins in a loomopera tion of which causes horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, a weight mounted on the thread holder for free horizontal and vertical movement relatively to said ratchet due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, and two pawls moving with the weight and both engaging the ratchet, one of said pawls moving the ratchet due to horizontal movement of the weight relatively to the thread holder and the other pawl moving the ratchet due to vertical movement of the weight relatively to the thread holder.

7. In a thread holder having a ratchet connected to a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in a loom operation of which causes horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, a weight mounted on said thread holder for free horizontal and vertical movement relatively to the ratchet due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, and two pawls moving with the weight and both engaging the ratchet, each pawl having a feeding stroke to move said ratchet and a return stroke which is idle relatively to the ratchet, one of said pawls acting as a check to prevent retrograde movement of the ratchet when the other pawl has a return stroke.

8. In a thread holder having a ratchet connected to a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in a loom operation of which causes horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, a weight mounted on said thread holder for free horizontal and vertical movement relatively to said ratchet due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, and two pawls moving with the weight and both engaging the ratchet for all positions of the weight, each pawl having feeding and repawl serving as a check to prevent retrograde 4. In a loom thread holder which vibrates horizontally and vertically during loom operation, the thread holder having a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in the loom, a weight having one end connected to the thread holder and mounted for free horizontal movement relatively thereto due to horizontal vibration of the thread holder, means to mount the other end of said weight for both horizontal and vertical free movement relatively to the thread holder due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the latter, and feed means for the traveling surface actuated by both the horizontal and vertical movements of said weight rel atively to the thread holder.

5. In a thread holder which vibrates horizontally and vertically during operation of a loom supporting the thread holder, the latter having a ratchet connected to a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reserve bobbins in the loom, a weight mounted on the thread holder for free movement relatively thereto n horizontal and vertical directions due to horition of which causes horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, a weight mounted on the thread holder for free horizontal and vertical movement relatively to said ratchet due to horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, and two pawls movingwith the weight and each having working and return strokes due to movement of the weight relatively to said ratchet, one pawl on a working stroke thereof moving the ratchet when the weight moves horizontally relatively to said ratchet and the other pawl on a working stroke thereof moving the ratchet when the weight moves vertically relatively to said ratchet, one of said pawls acting as a check to prevent retrograde movement of the ratchet when the other pawl has a return stroke.

10. In a thread holder having a ratchet connected to a traveling surface to engage weft ends extending from reverse bobbins in a loom operation of which causes horizontal and vertical vibration of the thread holder, a weight having one zontal and v ertical vibration of the thread holder, and feed pawl means for the ratchet moving with said weight, said pawl means moving th'e ratchet due to horizontal 'and'verticalinovem'ent asaggoza.

weight and engaging the'ratchet and moving the latter due to horizontal movement of the weight relatively to the ratchet, and a. second pawl connected to said other end of the weight and engaging the ratchet and moving the latter due to vertical movement of said other end of the weight relatively to the ratchet.

HERBERT A. WHITlN. 

